Garment-pressing machine



R. H. MELZER. GARMENT PRESSING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29. I920.

Patented D00. 13, 1921.

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TOR %4 0 7'TORf/EX [NVEN R. H. MELZER. GARMENT PRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, I920.

Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- I 1 X I R. H. MELZER. GARMENT RRESSING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, 1920.

Patented Dec. 13, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3- M R f l I "v 1mm 0 Q I l I l I I ll/IA 7 M I ll 1 ww r A R. H. MELZER. GARMENT PRESSING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 29, I920- Patented D606 13, 1921.

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- the UNITED STATES RICHARD H. MEIZER, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO PRESSER, INC., OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A. CORPORATION PATENT OFFICE.

TRIPLEX GARMENT OF NEW YORK.

GARMENT-PRESSING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1921..

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD H. MELznR, of S racuse, in the county of Onondaga, 1n tate of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Garment- Pressing Machines, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to certain improvements in machines for pressing garments involving the use of lower and upper pressing elements of similar form and size, one of which, as the upper element, is mounted upon a vertical rocking support for movement toward and from the lower element in combination with means for actuating the rocking support, and additional means for supplying steam to the garment, preferably through the lower element, and for heating both of the pressing elements.

The main object is to increase the general working efficiency of machines of this character, and at the same time to reduce the number of parts and simplify the operations both of the rocking support and steam control.

One of the specific objects is to cause the head to be forced to its pressing position and locked in that position, to release it from its locked positionand to cause. the application of steam to'the garment, all through the medium of a single pedal lever, which may, therefore, be said to have a triple function.

Another object is to enable the steam supply to the garment to be controlled independently of the pedal lever if desired.

A further object is to provide a more efficient and even distribution of the steam to the garment without necessitating the drilling of a large number of small holes for that purpose.

.Other objects and uses relating to specific parts of the machine will be brought out in the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan and Fig. 2 a side elevation, partly in section, of a garment ressing machine embodying the various features ofmy invention.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on line 3-3, Fig. .1, showing more particularly the pedal operated steam controlling means.

Fig. 4 is a top plan of the lower pressing element, or buck, with the padding removed.

F lgs. 5, 6 and 7 are sectional views taken respectively, on lines 5-5, 6-6 and 7-7 Fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken in the plane of line 8-8, Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the steam joint between the head and steam supply pipe, taken on line 9-9, Fig. 2.

Fig. 10 is an end view of porting yokes for one end of pipe shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken on line ll11, Fig. 2, showing the yielding support for the front end of the main pedal lever.

As illustrated, the main supporting frame of this machine comprises an upright standard -1- having a relatively broad and fiat supporting base 2, the standard --l having opposite upright parts in spaced relation through the great portion of their height, but united at the bottom to the base and at the top by a yoke -8, the intermediate portions being connected at intervals by central cross-bars l-, as shown in section in Fig. 2.

The standard --lwith its base -2, yoke -3 and brace bars 4 is preferone of the supthe steam joint ably formed integral of cast metal, and, to-

.for the manipulation of portions of the gen ment operated upon therein, the upper face of said extension 5 beingsubstantially flat for receiving and supporting the lower pressing element or back --6-- which is secured thereto by clamping bolts 6, and is therefore, stationary relatively to the frame with its upper face in a substantially horizontal plane and at a convenient height for receiving and supporting the garments .into pressing co-action with the to be operated upon. The upper face of the press head 6 is usually covered with a foraminous padding which is pervious to steam for distributing said steam more evenly over the entire area of the garment resting thereon.

The upper pressingelement, as -7, is mounted upon the front end of a' lever or rock arm -8'- which is hinged intermediate its ends at -9- to the yoke -3- to swing vertically about a horizontal axis in substantially the same horizontal plane as the meeting faces of the buck 6- and head -7--, but some distance to therear thereof so as to leave an intervening space sufiicient for the propermanipulation of the clothes or garments over and upon and around the marginal edges of the buck.

The head 7 is resiliently connected to the front end of the lever ---8 by means of bolts 10 and coil springs 11- at four different points to permit it to move relatively to and independently of its supporting arm -8, and to thereby conform to varying thicknesses of material operated upon at different points throughout the area of the meeting faces of the pressing elements.

: Head operating means.

A weight 12- is mounted upon. the rear arm of the lever 8 and is adjustable toward and from the axis of the pivot -9 and is sufficient-to normally over-balance the weight of the head 7 for automatically raising the latter away from the buck 6-, following the pressing o eration, to suchan angle as will ermit ree inspection and manipulation o the garment on the buck preparatory to pressing, said weight being held in its adjusted position by means of a clamping screw --13-.

The front end of the lever -8 is provided with a handle 14 by which it, together with the head 7 thereon may be moved vertically a ainst or with the retracting weight when esired.

In machines of this character, it is necessary to provide means for bringin the head buck with considerable pressure for producing the desired effect upon the garment,and, for this purpose is provided a toggle -l5 and pedal lever 16, together. with suitable mechanismswherebv the same pedal lever. may be utilized for breaking the toggle lock' to release the press head from its pressing position, and also for operating a valve which controls the admission of steam to the garment, as will be' hereinafter more fully explained. I

' he toggle--1 5- preferably consists of a pair of levers -17- and 18 pivoted to each other end to end at -19-, the lower lever --17- being fulcrumed orpivoted at 20- to thestandard --1 above the pedal 7 at the rear of the vertical plane of the crossbars 4- and preferably below'the bracket -5-, the pivot 20\being located nearer the lower end than the upper end of the lever -17 to form a relatively long upper arm and a relatively short lower arm, which latter is provided with a"weight-2l to assist in straightening the toggle to its locking position.

he upper end Qfthe upper lever 18-- is pivoted at -22- to a stud 23 which is adjustable endwise in a socket 24l in the rear end of the lever -v-8- just at the front of the weight 12or between said weight and the pivot 9-, said stud 22. being provided with a threaded aperture engaged by an adjusting screw -25-- having inner and outer collars 26 and 27-- secured thereto and engaging the inner and outer faces of the outer end wall of the socket -24.- for holding the screw against endwise movement relatively to the lever, the outer collar 27- constituting a hand wheel by which the screw may be turned to ad'ust the stud -23 in the socket 24- be object of this adjustment is to regulate the period of locking of the toggle 15'relatively to the closing movement of the head -7-, or rather to vary the throw of the head tially the same straight line, and the pivot ---19 slightly inside or to the front of a straight line between the pivots 20- and --22-, the further forward movement of the toggle joint or pivot 19- being limited 0 suitable stop mechanism presently describe 'For this latter purpose, the upper end of the lever -17 is provided w1th a forwardl projecting lug -28 carrying a threa ed extension 29 which is screwed therein and is adjustable and held in its adjusted position by a lock nut 30, the front end of the extension 29-- being provided with 'a rubber tip -31 for engaging the rear face of the intermediate cross-bar -4--, and thereby limiting the forward throw of the toggle joint as the toggle is operated by the pedal lever 16- to force the press head to its pressing position, at

which time the toggle levers vwill have asline between the pivots 20 and 2 2. f

where its further forward movement will be limited by the engagement of the part -31- 40-- on t pedallever to normally hold the front end of' with adjacent cross-bar 4- of the standard 1--. Y a

The pedal lever -16- is preferably L-shaped to form a relatively long arm --32 and a shorter arm -33-, the longer arm -32- being disposed in a more or less horizontal position and is fnlcrumed or pivoted at 34-- to the standard -1 just above the base -2 and some distance below the fulcrum -20 of the toggle lever '17 so as to extend forwardly and rearwardly therefrom, the front end being provided with a pedal 35 projecting forwardly beyond the corresponding edge of said base and also slightly beyond the vertical plane of the pressing elements, where it is easily accessi ble to the operator when standing on the floor upon which the base of the standard lrests.

The shorter arm of the pedal lever 16 is disposed in a more or less vertical position at the rear ofthe fulcrum -34- and extends upwardly above the horizontal plane of the fulcrum -2-- of the toggle lever --17- at the rear thereof and terminates in a horizontal plane between the fulcrum 20- and toggle joint -l9-- where it is provided with a contact roller -36 for engagement with the rear edge of the toggle lever -'1'Z- when the front'end of the lever is depressed to efiect the closing movement of the head -7 toward the buck 6. I

It will be observed, however, that the toggle --15-- and pedal lever -16 have certain movements entirely independent of each other. For example, when the pedal lever is operated to force the toggle levers toward a straight position, the weight 21 may carry the toggle joint to its locking position in advance or independently of the complete operation of the pedal lever, while, on the other hand, when the toggle levers are forced to their locked positic n, the pedal lever may swing rearwardly away from the toggle lever 17--- in a manner and for a purpose hereinafter described.

The upright portion 33 of the pedal lever is considerably nearer to the fulcrum --3% than the pedal 35- which is of sufficient weight to overbalance the weight of the arm -33 and parts carried thereby, thereby tending to normally rock the front end of the lever downward, but this downward motion is limited by a yielding stop or vertically movable plunger 37- which is slidable vertically in a post -38 on the base 2-'- between the fulcrum -34- and pedal -3,5'-, said post containing a coil spring 39--, Fig. 11, tending to force the plunger upwardly against an abutment 0 adjacent portion 32'- of the said pedal lever in a slightly elevated position bove the limit of its downward movement, and thereby to normally hold the contact member 36- a short distance away from the rear edge of the toggle lever 17- when the head 7- is locked in its pressing position, the tension of the spring -39-- being just sufficient to overcome the difference in weight between the front and rear ends of the pedal lever. In other words, the spring -39- through the medium of the plunger 37 and abutment -40 tends to yieldingly support the pedal lever in an intermediate position between its two extreme positions of adjustment, the rear end of said lever, preferably at the junction of the arms -32 and --33 being provided with a stop shoulder 41- for engagement with a I ubber or other yielding abutment l2 on the base -2-, to limit the releasing movement of said lever and incidentally to limit the opening movement of the head -7 by the engagement of the rear edge of the toggle -l5- with the contact member 36, as shown more clearly by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

That is, when the toggle is unlocked to release the head -7-, the weight -12 raises the head and automatically flexes the toggle joint rearwardly and downwardly, during which operation, the rear edge of the toggle lever -17- engages the contact roller 36 and depresses the rear end of the pedal lever until limited by the engagement of the stop -41 with the abutment 42, at which time the front end of the pedal lever will leave the plunger -37 and assume its extreme up position, as shown by dotted lines n Fig. 2, ready for a repetition of the pressing operation.

The press head 7, together with its supporting lever 8-, toggle -15 and pedal lever --16,- is shown by full lines in the position which they assume during the pressing operation with pressure upon the pedal released, which allows the plunger 37 to rock the pedal lever upwardly and rearwardly from its extreme lower position until limited by the engagement of the head, 37 of the plunger 37 with the inner end of an adjustable bushing, as -38' in the post --38--. v

This latter operation of the pedal lever by the plunger 37- is entirely independent affect the pressing position of the press head .7 and its supporting lever -8, said movement being sufficient to carry the contact roller 36 a short distance away from the rear edge of the lower toggle memin a manner presently to be described for of the toggle 15, and, therefore, does not flexing the toggle at the joint 19 rearwardly and downwardly to break the lock and release the head, and thereby to allow the weight -12,to rock the arm -8-- with the head thereon away from the buck wardly projecting arm 47--.

The main body of the pawl 43-- is in front of the pivot -44 and, therefore, tends to rock downwardly, but is restrained in this movement by a spring 48- engaging the rear face of the lower arm -46 below the pivot -44 and serving to normallj keep the pawl in a substantiallyvertical y position with its arm 45 projecting forwardly therefrom in close proximity to the rear edge of the weight 2l when the press head is closed upon the buck, or when the toggle is straightened and locked. The front end of the arm 45-- normally rests on a slight proection -49 on the rear edge of the weight 21-, while, at the same time, the upper arm 47 lies directly under a rearwardly extending projection 50- on the toggle lever -l7-- just at the rear of the arm -4=7- being adjustable vertically on the main body of the pawl 46 to cause its proper cooperation-with the projection That is, assuming that. the press head is released and that it has assumed its extreme elevated position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, thereby effecting a corresponding movement of the toggle levers and pedal lever to produce a maximum separation of the pawl -43* 81nd :(projectioh 50, then as the ,dal end of the lever is depressed by the oot-of the operator to bring the head down upon the buck, the pawl .43- and projection 50-- of the togglelever 17.will approach each other in such relation that the rear end of the projection 50'-- will engage the front edge of the arm -47 and cause the front arm -45 of the pawl -43- to be rocked up;

wardly into registration with a recess -5l--- in the rear edge of the toggle lever -,17 between the projection -'-50 and shoulder 49-,' thereby causing the pawl 43- to rock upwardly and rearwardly to the position shown by dotted'lines at the right.

of the arm -33-, Fig. 2, and will allow pivot 20, the

the roller --36 to contact with the rear edge of the toggle lever -17- to force the toggle to a straightened position, where it is automatically locked by the straightening movement, which is aided materially by the weight -21 tending to hold the toggle in its locked position. y

This brings the press head into pressing coaction with the buck to produce the desired pressure upon the garment. During this downward movement of the pedal end of the lever l6-, the latter is placed under slight lifting pressure by the depression of the plunger -37 against the action of the spring 39, so that as soon as pressure upon the pedal '35 is released, the pedal lever is rocked ulpwardly and-rearwardly to shift the roller 36 out of contact with the "toggle lever -17, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, to the position shown by full lines, some distance to the rear of said toggle lever. During this latter movement, the upper end of the arm 47 of the pawl 48 rocks downwardly by its .own weight out of engagement. with the rear end of the projection 50 and causes a similar movement of the arm 45 out of the recess -51- and against the stop shoulder -4:9 in close proximity to the rear of the weight -21. Now, in order to break the toggle if desired, to allow'the press head to be rocked upwardly and rearwardly by the weight l2, which also flexes the toggle joint 19 d'ownwardly and rearwardly against the contact 36 on the rear arm 33 -.of the pedal lever to restore the same toits normal inoperative position ready for .a repetition'of the operation previously described.

Steam circulation and control;

The press head --7 is preferably hollow to form a steam chamber 52- to which steamis supplied from a pipe 53 through the medium of a swiveled coupling -54 and extension pipe -55--, the latter entering directly into the.chanrber --52-.

The rear end of the extension 55- and front end of the supply pipe -53- are provided with heads 56-- having angular passages -57 therethrough for connection with the opposite ends of a similar passage 58 in the coupling --5et. The corresponding faces of opposite ends of the coupling 54;- are provided with sockets ,59 for receiving the adjacent ends of the heads 56- and suitable packing gaskets 60--, and also to permit the heads to turn freely in the sockets as the press head 7- and its sulpporting arm 8- are rocked toward and from the buck, and also to permit rocking movement of the head relatively to its-supporting arm 8- with or against the action of the springs -l1-.

The heads 56- are provided with arms -6l'carrying a hub 62- in spaced relation to, but coaxial with the heads for receiving between them the opposite ends of the coupling 54--. The ends of the coupling -54- areyieldingly held in engagement with the heads 56- by plungers -63- which are movable in the hub -62, and are spring pressed against the adjacent faces of the ends of the coupling.54-

by springs 64, the tension of which may be adjusted by screws 65- engaging in ternally threaded portions of the hubs, as shown more clearly in Fig. 9.

This coupling and its connection with the heads 56 may be termed a'steam joint, the parts of which when assembled are free to turn one upon the other, and are held in engagement to form steam tight joints by means of the plunger 63-- and springs -6%-, but may be readily separated by simply removing the adjusting screws 65--, which are easily accessible for adjustment or removal. 7 a

The buck 6- is preferably made of cast metal and is provided with an interior chamber or channel 66- extending entirely around the marginal edge thereof to form a heating chamber, said head being also provided with a primar distributing chamber 67 and a secon ary distributing chamber 68-- through which steam is admitted to the garment for moistening purposes. 7 k

A downwardly extending steam supply pipe 69- is connected to the main supply pipe 53- and is provided; with a branch pipe -'-70- leading to an inlet 71' in the underside of the buck. The inlet 7lcommunicates with a channel -72- running a short distance along the inner side of a partition 73- between said channel and chamber 66- and communicating with such chamber through a passage 4- over the upper edge of the partition 73- which rises from the bottom of the chamber 66- and channel 72- to a horizontal lane just suiiiciently below the top of said chamber and channel to form the connecting passage 74. The object of this partition 73- is to produce a collecting chamber for water of condensation in the adjacent portion of the chamber 66 to prevent such water from passing into the distributing chambers 67- and -68-.

The end of the channel --72- opposite secured in thelower end of the valve chamber -.75 and is provided with a valve seat 78-- normally engaged by a ball valve -79--', said valve case being provided with one or more radial steam passages -80- through the peripheral walls thereof just above the center of the valve, when the latter is closed, to communicate with the surrounding chamber 75-, so that when the valve is raised from its seat, the live steam passes from said valve chamber through the ports -80 and thence through the opening in the bottom of the valve case to an underlying chamber 81-- which communicates through upwardly diverging passages -82- with the distributing chambers 67, as shown more clearly in Fig. 5, thereby admitting the live steam to the primary distributing chamber and thence through passages 83 to the secondary distributing chamber 68.

.This distributing chamber 68 preferably consists of a chain of, in this instance five, relatively small circular chambers arranged side by side lengthwise of and in the upper portionof the buck with their. adjacent sides merging with each other, as represented more clearly in Fig. 4, for receiving a similarly formed plate -8i-, which is of slightly less area than that of the cham her in which it is located to form relatively narrower steam exit passages 85- and 86 at the inner and outer edges of the chain of. rings forming the plate 84, said plate being secured to the upper face of the buck by screws 87- or equivalent fastening means.

A. drain pipe 88 leads from the bottom of a portion of the heating chamber 66- directly opposite the inlet -71- and is connected to an extension 89- of the pipes 69- to drain off water of condensation through a main drainage pipe 90.

A valve operating rod 91-- is movable vertically in a suitable guide opening in the upper portion of the bracket 5- which supports the buck -6, the upper end of said valve being provided with a stop shoulder 92- adapted to engage the up er face of the adjacent portion of the brac et -5-- for limiting the downward movement of said rod so that its upper end may lie in close proximity to the underside of the valve --79. The lower end of the valve operating rod 91- is surrounded by a coil spring 93 which is interposed between the underside of the adjacent portion of the bracket -5-- and a shoulder 94- on the rod to normally force the latter downwardly away from the valve with its shoulder 92- resting on the adjacent portion of the bracket.

A separate valve operating rod 95 is movable vertically in a suitable guide 96 in the bracket 5 coaxial with the rod 91 and has its upper end normally lying in close proximity to the underside of the shoulder 9l, while its lower end rests upon the rear end of a supplemental pedal lever 97- which is fulcrumed at 98 upon the base 2- at one side of, but in close proximity to the main pedal ,lever -16, where both levers may be conveniently operated by simply shifting the foot from one pedal to the other.

The intermediate portion of the valve operating rod.-95- is surrounded by a coil spring 99- having one end bearing against the underside of the guide 96- and its other end engaged with an adjustable collar -100 on the rod 95- to normally force said rod downwardly on to the pedal lever 97.

The function of this pedal lever 97 is to control the position of the valve 79- through the medium of the rods 91- and -95 and sprin s 93 and 99-- and to thereby control the supply of steam tothe garment for moistening purposes. It is however, desirable to provide means whereby this supply of steam for moistening purposesmay be controlled by the main pedal lever 16- at the same time. that the press head is brought into pressing engagement with the garment, and for this purpose the front end of the lever 97 is provided with a transverse guide opening 101 for receiving a coupling rod -102- which is slidable horizontally in the guide opening '101 to and from a position directly under thefront end of the main p dal lever 16.

In Fig. 3, t e rod is shown by full lines as adjusted to cause the operation of thepedal lever 97 by the depression of the front end of the mainpedal lever 16, the

dotted lines indicating its position when withdrawn from beneath the main pedal lever. This underlying position of the coupling rod 102 relatively to the main lever 16- permits the pedal lever 97 to be operated independently of the main lever when the head is open, and also when it is closed upon the garment and locked by the toggle levers, or the rod -102 may be withdrawn or forced out from under the pedal lever 16 by the foot to permit the latter to be depressed to the limit of its downwardmovement without affecting the operation of the pedal 97 or valve controlled thereby.

The plunger 37 previously referred to is adjusted to elevate the forward end of the pedal lever -16 a short distance above the underlying rod 102 when the head 7 is forced to its pressing position and the valve 79 closed, at which time, the pawl 46'will have assumed the position shown in Fig. 2 ready to engage the rear edge of the weight 21- of thetoggle lever 17, the clearance between the rod 102 and lower side of the front end of the pedal lever being sufiicient to allow the pedal to be operated to release the toggle levers from their locking positions without operating the pedal lever 97 or opening the valve --79 when it is desired to permit the head 7 to be rocked upwardly and rearwardly away from the buck through the medium of the weight 12 and rocking support --8, which, in turn, causes the pedal lever 16 to be restored.to its starting position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Operation.

Assuming now that the press head and its operating means are in their starting position with the steam valve 9 closed, the garment to be pressed is then laid out upon the upper surface of the buck and properly smoothed by hand preparatory to pressing, whereupon the press head may be forced to its pressing posi= tion by downward pressure of the foot upon the pedal 35, which causes the contact roller 36 to engage the rear edge of the toggle lever --17 for forcing the toggle to its straightened position aided by the weight 21 which causes the toggl joint 19- to assume a position slightly at the front of a straight line between the pivots 20- and 22- for locking the press head in its pressing position.

As the downward movement of the front end of the pedal continues, it engages and depresses the plunger 37- against the action of the spring 39, and also engages and depresses the underlying rod 102- and front end of the supplemental pedal 97 for opening the valve -'-79 through the medium of the rods 95- and 91, thereby admitting steam to the chamber --66 through the passage 74--, and also admitting steam through the channel 72 to the valve chamber 75 and thence through the passages 77, chamber --8l and passages 82- to the distributing chambers 67- from which the steam passesthrough the ports 83 to the secondary distributing chamber 68 and out through the passages 85 to the overlying pad and garment thereon for moistening purposes.

press head full open and the garment, whereupon the pressure thereon is released to allow the plunger -37 to elevate the front endof the pedal lever '16 away from the underlying rod l02-,

which permits the su plemental pedal 97- and valve control ed thereby to return to their normal position to shut oil the supply of steam to the garment. The press head being now located in its pressing posi tion by the straightening of the toggle-15 permits the lever --97- to be operated independently as often as may be desired to supply add1tional steam to the garment without disturbing the main pedal lever -16-. On the other hand, after the pressing and moistening operations are completed, a slight downward pressure upon the pedal 35 will cause the arm 45 of the pawl -.43 to rock the lower end of the tog le lever 17 forwardly, thereby flexing the joint 19 rearwardly to break the toggle look so that by relieving the pressure upon the pedal 35-, the weight --12 will restore the press head -7 and its opcrating means to their normal or starting position, it being understood that the steam admitted to the chamber -66- of the buck and also to the chamber -52- of the press head serves to keep those pressing elements heated to a sufiicient degree to accelerate the drying of the garment immediately following the pressing and moistening operations.

If necessary, the steam chamber +52- of the press hea'dmaybe provided with an air "cut 103 controlled by a valve -104- to prevent said chamber from becoming air bound, or rather to relieve it from air so that the steam may readily flow therein.

Although the mechanisms shown and described are found to be highly eflicient, it is evident that various changes may be made in the detail construction without departing from the spirit of this invention, and, therefore, Ido not wish to limit myself to that particular construction.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for pressing garments, cooperative pressing elements, one of which is movable towardand from the other, arid means for operating the movable element including a toggle and a edal lever operating against one of the togg e members for forcing the toggle to a straightened position,'and thereby locking the movable element in its pressing position, said pedalv lever being movable independently of the toggle after the latter has been forced to its locked position, in combination with means actuated by the independent movement of said pedal lever in one direction for flexing the toggle and thereby releasing it from its locking po- 'sition.

2. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of cooperative pressing elements, one of which is movable toward and from the other, means for admitting steam to a garment between the-pressing elements,

meansincluding a pedal lever movable to one position for forcing the movable element to its pressing position and having an independent movement irrespective of the movable element, a valve for controlling the supply of steam to the garment, and means actuated by the independent movement of the pedal lever for opening said valve.

3. In a garment pressing machine, a frame, cooperative pressing elements, one of which is movable toward and from the other, a rocking support for the movable element, toggle connections between said support and frame, a pedal lever for straightening the toggle to force the movable element to its p essing position and having an independent movement relatively to the toggle, and means actuated by the independent movement of the pedal for flexing the toggle to release the movable element from it's flexing position.

4. In a garment pressing machine, a frame, cooperative pressing elements, one of which is movable toward and from the other, a rocking support for the movable element, toggle connections between said support and frame, a pedal leverfor straight ening the toggle to force the movable element to its'pressing position and having aning' elements, one of which is movab e toward and from the other, a rookin support for the movable element, means or operating the rocking support to carry the movable element away from the other element, toggle connections between the rocking support and frame. a pedal lever for straightening said toggle to force the movable element into pressing coaction with the other element, means for causing a partial return movement of the pedal lever independently of the toggle after the toggle has beenstraightened, and means actuated by a further movement of the pedal for engaging and flexing the toggle to release the movable element from its pressing position.

6. In a garment pressing machine, cooperative pressing elements, one of which is movable toward and from the other, a pedal lever, means actuated by the movement of the pedal lever in one direction for forcing the press head to its pressing position, means for moving the pedal lever in an opposite direction independently of the first named means, and additional means actuated by the movement of the pedal lever in the first named direction for operating the first named means to release the movable element from its pressing position.

7. In a garment pressing machine, cooperative pressing elements, one of which is movable toward and from the other, a pedal lever, means actuated by the movement of the pedal lever in one direction for forcing the press head to its pressing position, means for moving the pedal lever in an opposite direction independently of the first named means, additional means actuated by the movement of the pedal lever in the first named direction for operating the first named means to release the movable element from its pressing position, means for conducting steam to the garment for moistening purposes, a valve controlling the steam, and means actuated by the movement of the pedal lever in the first named direction for opening the valve.

8. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a frame, cooperative pressing elements, one of which is movable toward and from the other, a rocking support for the movable element, a toggle having one of its levers pivoted to the frame and its other lever connected to the rocking support, means tending to force the toggle toward its position for closing the movable element upon the other element, means of greater power tending to open the movable element away from the other element, and pedal operated means for additionally forcing the toggle to a position for closing the movable element upon the other element.

9. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a frame, cooperative pressing elements, 10118 of which is movable toward and from the other, a rocking support for the movable element, toggle connections between the frame and support, means tending to straighten the toggle to close the' movable element upon the other element, additional means tending to fiexthe toggle to open the movable element away from the other element, means for stopping the movement of the toggle at substantially its straightened position, and pedal operated means for straightening the toggle.

10. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a frame, a horizontal buck mounted on the frame, a lever of the first kindfulcrumed on the frame to swing about a horizontal axis substantially parallel with the longitudinal center of the buck and some 1.4oo,oss

distance to the rear thereof, a press h ad mounted on the front end of the lever to move toward and from the buck, a weight on the rear end of the lever for over-balancing the weight of the head and raising the latter away from the buck, a toggle connection between the frame and rear arm of th lever and having its members movable to a substantially straight line for closing the head upon the buck, said toggle members flexing rearwardly from their straightened position to withdraw the head awayfrom the buck, a weight on one of the toggle members for moving saidmembers toward a straightened position, a pedal lever operable in one direction for straightening the toggle, means for moving the lever in an opposite direction independently of the toggle, and a pawl on the pedal lever for engaging and flexing the toggle from its straightened position when the pedal lever is operated in one direction independently of the toggle.

11. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a frame, cooperative pressing elements, one of which is movable toward and from the other, means including a toggle and an actuating pedal lever therefor for forcing the movable element to its pressing position, said toggle having one of its members fulcrumed on the frame of the machine to swing about a horizontal axis, a pedal lever being also fulcrumed on the frame of the machine some distance below the toggle to move about a horizontal axis and having its forward end provided with a pedal and its rear end extending upwardly at the rear of said toggle member to engage the same above the fulcrum thereof.

12. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a frame, cooperative [pressing elements, one of which is movable toward and from the other, means including a toggle and an actuating pedal lever therefor for forcing the movable element to its pressing position,.said toggle having one of its members fulcrumed on the frame of the machine to swing about a horizontal axis, a pedal-lever being also fulcrumed on the frame of the machine some distance below the toggle to moveabout a horizontal axis and having its forward end provided with a pedal and its rear end extending upwardly at the rear of said togglemember to engage the same above the fulcrum thereof, said pedal lever being movable independently of the toggle, and means actuated by an independent movement of the pedal lever for engaging said toggle member below its fulcrum to flex the toggle from its straightened position.

13. In a garment pressing machine, the combination of a frame, a buck mounted thereon, a press head movable toward and from the buck, a supporting lever for the press head'fulcrumed intermediate its ends toggle connections between the frame and rear end of said lever and having one of its members fulcrumed on the frame to swing about a horizontal axis, a pedal lever of the first kind fulcrumed on the frame to swing about a horizontal axis and having its front end provided with a pedal and its rear end extended upwardly at the rear of said toggle lever above the fulcrum thereof for engaging the same and forcing the toggle toward a straightened position when the pedal is rocked downwardly, said pedal lever having an independent movement relatively to the toggle, and means actuated by the pedal lever when moved independently of the toggle for engaging said toggle member below its fulcrum to flex said toggle from its straightened position and thereby to release the head from its pressing position.

14. In a garment pressingmachine, cooperative pressing elements, one of which is movable toward and from the other, means including a pedal lever for forcing the movable element toward the other element, means for conducting steam to one of the pressing elements for moistening the garment, a valve for controlling the steam, a pedal lever for operating said valve and means for transmitting motion from the first named lever to the second named lever for opening the valve simultaneously with the operation of the first named lever to bring the movable element into pressing co-action with the other element.

15. In a garment pressing machine, cooperative pressing elements, one of which is movable toward and from the other, means including a pedal lever for forcing the movable element toward the other element, means for conducting steam to one of the pressing elements, for moistening the garment, a valve for controlling the steam, a pedal lever for operating said valve and means for transmitting motion from the first named lever to the second named lever for opening the valve simultaneously with the operation of the first named lever to bring the movable element into pressing coaction with the other element, said last named means including a member on the second named pedal lever movable into and out of the path of movement of the first named pedal lever.

- In witness whereof I have hereunto s t my hand this 18th day of September, 1920.

RICHARD H. MELZER. Witnesses:

H. E. CHASE, v Rosn CARROLL. 

